Darnell Family Christmas

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We had a very fun weekend celebrating Christmas in Macon.

I laughed harder than I have in a long time...

especially when Springer opened his HUGE remote...

laughed so hard tears streamed down my face!

I love spending time with our family!

A Great Trip!

Springer and I just got back from a great trip! We went to Las Vegas for a convention (Springer said he had never seen so many pharmacists in his life), and on to the Grand Canyon to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. We had a BLAST!

I can't really figure out this picture-posting thing... for some reason, it won't put the pictures in the order I want... bummer... but you get the idea!

Go Cougars

The Brookstone Cougars have defeated the Savannah Country Day Hornets... well, I am assuming that we won since we were winning 35-21 with 4 minutes left. That's right... we. Springer loves the Cougars (his high school) so we went to support them in their quest for a state championship! Tonight was the 2nd round. I think if Athens Academy ended up winning tonight, we will play them next week.
Anyway... my favorite part of the game was the proud dad sitting right in front of us. He had a blue baseball cap on with "Brookstone" on the front, and his son's number and last name on the back. I was thinking about how that must make his son feel, to know his dad is wearing his name... and is proud to call him his son. I hope that he knows his daddy's love, and I hope we can love and support our kids well one day!

Little Drummer Boy

We love Aaron and Camille ... I'll blog about these special friends one day soon.

But for today I wanted to share a picture of their little one from Sunday morning.

After church he climbed up on stage and started playing the drum...

so precious!

Blackout

I have been a Georgia fan all of my life. Growing up in Columbus Auburn has always been my least favorite team. In Columbus you are either a GA fan or an AU fan. My parents went to UGA and so naturally I'm a GA fan, but my oldest sister was a rebel and wanted to be an AU fan. People who aren't from here don't really realize how big of a rivalry it is. I have been to the past 14 GA-AU games. I have been to alot of GA games in my life, but almost all of my top games are GA-AU games. The 1996 game has always been one of my favorites. The Dawgs tied the game with no time left and went on to win in 4 overtimes. Then there was the 2002 game with the 4th and 14 TD pass to Michael Johnson. Even the 2005 game when we lost at home was a great game. Last year was awesome when AU was ranked #5 and we came in after losing 4 of 5 games and beat them 37-15. But I think this year has topped my list of favorite games. Coach Richt teased us all week with whether or not the team would be wearing black. The fans came ready with probably over 99% wearing black. Then the captains came out wearing red and you could sense some fans were disappointed. And then it happened, the Dawgs came running out of the locker room wearing black! The crowd was so pumped. The game itself was a good one. It was close during the first half and then AU took the lead at the beginning of the 3rd quarter and then GA turned on a switch. GA scored 28 unanswered points to win 45-20, it was beautiful. The Dawgs played so well and all against one of the best defenses in the nation. It was nice to see AU QB Brandon Cox play another stellar game this year matching the same number of interceptions as last year (4). Matthew Stafford played a great game making some nice down field passes. And how about Knowshon! He is amazing. He may end up being one of the best RB's the SEC has seen in a while. He had 101 yards against a great defense. One of the best parts of the game came in-between the 3rd and 4th quarter. The Dawgs had just scored at the end of the 3rd quarter and were waiting to kick off to start the 4th quarter. There was a long TV timeout and they started cranking Soulja Boy. Knowshon and Thomas Brown were dancing on the sideline with some other players and it was all on the scoreboard. The crowd was going nuts during this. It was one of the loudest moments I have witnessed in Sanford Stadium. You can go to Youtube and see a video of it all. So overall it was a great day on Saturday. Here are some pics from the game:

Jesus is the Light of the world!

House Divided

I (Laura Susan) am the first Georgia fan to come out of the Darnell clan. (Springer's been a Bulldog since birth.) I come from a long line of Bama fans on both sides. So as you can imagine, the Georgia-Alabama game is a big deal. We decided to watch the game with the Darnells in Macon, and here's what Mom came downstairs wearing! Grandpa's Alabama sweatshirt! She makes me laugh!

But better luck next year to the Tide! (Or not) Go Dawgs!



And this is what Springer thinks about elephants... and don't you love the look on Mom's face when she is laughing? I do!

This is really cute...

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=9e7c4b40cf5a13cea6ca

Labor Day

We have had a great Labor Day weekend! We spent the weekend in Paradise... Athens, Georgia, and cheered our Bulldogs on to victory. Spent some time with family and friends... and got to see two of our favorite kids on the planet... Levi and Charlotte. We LOVED sleeping in this morning, and we made a garden today. It was really fun... our first gardening experience. Here's what it looked like...

It actually looked even worse than this at first...

covered in pine straw and leaves... yuck!
My cute hubby!
Tada! We had some good ideas for different flowers

(thanks to Victoria for lending me her gardening books),

but all that Lowes and Home Depot had were mums... but we like mums!

I planted basil, thyme, and rosemary.

Booyah, Publix! You will never overcharge me for fresh herbs again!

Oops, let's zoom out.
That's better!
The yellow chrysanthemums are called "Heidi",

and the purple ones are called "Symphony."

We had one mum left over, so it is keeping the birdbath company.

We like gardening! If only we could make grass grow in our front yard...

I didn't truly appreciate iTunes until right now. So I have been really busy with work, life in general... but I really love Shane&Shane. I have been trying to figure out when I could make it out to the Christian bookstore across town to get their new CD.

Tonight, sitting on my couch in my pajamas, I downloaded Pages the new CD... and it's good... and made a copy for Springer and me in less than 5 minutes. That, my friends, is beautiful. I now have a full appreciation for the beauty of iTunes.

"We love you Jesus for so many reasons..."

Hooray!

We have had a lot to celebrate lately.
July 26 is Springer's spiritual birthday... he turned 10 last week.
July 29 is the anniversary of our first date... our relationship turned 3 on Sunday.
Springer's birthday is August 7... he'll be 27!
So there is a lot to celebrate in our house. We thank God for JOY!

There are also some celebrations outside of our house, but in our hearts... I'd like to give a shout out to the birthday twins, Camille and Laura, on August 3, and our sweet friend Charlotte's birthday is August 2. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Harry Darnell

http://www.13wmaz.com/video/player_news.aspx?storyid=41265&aid=39126

My brothers went to Barnes and Noble yesterday for the Harry Potter release... dressed up. See if you can recognize them on WMAZ!

Weekend Projects

Hi friends! I have been hoping to post pictures of the house for awhile now, but I had lost the cord that hooks our camera to the computer. Springer found it yesterday, and we are back in business!
We've been working on some weekend projects lately, and here are the results! Caroline came one weekend, and we put these hanging baskets up.

I really like our fireplace. Mrs. Cain painted the picture on the mantle, and it is beautiful!
This is our kitchen! We're planning to paint it green. What do you think?
Caroline helped to paint the bathroom too. We had a fun time, and I really like the way it turned out!
The Darnells gave us this front porch swing. We have spent many evenings out here. Thanks Mom and Dad!
We love our yard! Didn't Springer do a good job mowing?

More to come... and please come and visit!

Come, come in

Invade all You see of us

Any man who'd walk Your road

Is welcomed here

And You're the only one

Jesus, come and walk the halls of this house

Tread this place and turn it inside out

With Your mercy...

Jesus, teach us the prayers that open these doors

Until Your light floods in and illuminates these floors

And let Your truth be on our steps and in these rooms

Jesus invade...

Reach, reach in

With the hand that heals all our suffering

Conquer all that is not of You

Bring Your spirit through

As we fill these walls with Your praise

I call for angels

I call for mercy

I call for freedom

In the name of Jesus

In the name of Jesus

Preach It, Jimmy

"We are the future of the church, and it's gonna be crunk."
-Jimmy, a high school student speaking at Youth Sunday

Ice Cream Man

We just got home from a walk at the park, and guess who we saw?!?!
THE ICE CREAM MAN!
He wasn't driving the truck that I remember from my childhood, it was more like an ice cream conversion van. But it still had the same pictures stuck to the side, and he played the same music.
I am so glad it's summer!

David is old enough for a cell phone?

I am ok with the fact that I am getting older. But it is hard to comprehend my brothers and sister growing up too. Caroline turned 21 this year, Will finished his freshman year in college, and David is behind the wheel. Unbelieveable!

One part of being the oldest is watching my parents get more and more lenient as the days go by. One recent example...

I got my cell phone the day I graduated from high school (May). Caroline got hers on her 18th birthday (February). Will got a cell phone when he turned 18 (October).

David (15) has been begging for a cell phone for quite some time. And he realized that at some point I would get a new one and say goodbye to the Darnell Family Plan (which has served me faithfully for a long time, and I am very grateful for it). Mom and Dad told David that if he could get Caroline, Will, and me to agree that it was ok for him to have my old cell phone, then he could have it.

Here are the arguments I heard for why he NEEDED a cell phone:

1. I am living in a different age that y'all did.

(Not the best idea, Dave. Are you trying to make me feel ancient? And the last time I checked, we were only 10 years apart.)

2. Everybody has cell phones now... even elementary kids!

(This is true, but really, is it necessary????)

3. You are my favorite sister.

(To which I replied, "You said that to Caroline too." And David had no response. He knew he was guilty.)

Meanwhile, David did convince Springer (another youngest child) and decided that since Springer is the head of our home, that means yes from me.

Fast forward a few weeks... Springer and I got new phones & numbers. (I am tired of explaining to people why I still have a 478 area code.) We wrapped up my old cell phone and gave it to Mom as a Mothers' Day gift. (She was in on the joke.) I was watching David as Mom was opening her presents and as a typical 15-year-old would, he was completely not paying attention... why would he care what Mom gets? Mom opened the package and went on and on about how much she needed a new phone, that hers had been messing up, and how much she loved this new one. David's face went from uninterested to confused to jubilant, when he realized what was going on. He has had a permanent grin ever since!

So the next time you call me, if you hear a man's voice, that is my brother, and you need to get my new digits.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Representing the Street

I have a confession to make... I am a Sesame Street addict.
I watched it all the time when I was little. (My mom can vouch for this.) When I count 1-10 in Spanish, I still sing the song. Bert and Ernie make me laugh. I have seen all the Big Bird movies.
I absolutely love that show.
A few months ago, I was flipping channels and guess who was on Sesame Street?!?! Nora Jones. Now you can't tell me that's not cool. She was singing "I don't know why Y didn't come"... a song about the letter Y. Fabulous.
I look forward to having little Cains one day, so that I can watch Sesame Street all the time and that be normal.
I say all this because this weekend we made a trip to Target, and Springer found the most awesome T-shirt ever. It says "Representing the Street" and has Grover, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Bert, and Ernie on it. I will take a picture and post it as soon as I can find our camera.
I hope you have a...
Sunny Day
Sweepin' the clouds away
On my way to where the air is sweet
Can you tell me how to get
How to get to Sesame Street

Toto, we aren't in Augusta anymore...

Tonight Springer played softball. And he was awesome!
The team hadn't won a game all season, Springer Cain takes the field, and the St. Paul Green Machine is victorious, winning 28-27 over a team who had previously lost only 3 games in 13 years. Wow! (I might add that this was also the first game with a cheering section, so we think that we had something to do with the outcome.)
Columbus softball is very different than Redeemer's league in Columbia County...
First of all, the complex is downtown... we are no longer in suburbia.
And it isn't just a church league, so as one can imagine, it can get ugly.
Also, you can steal bases! What?!?!?!? This is softball! My mind cannot wrap around this concept.
And the scoreboards don't work, so I never know what the score was.
I missed the sweet fellowship with my Redeemer ladies in the stands, but I enjoyed getting to know new friends.
Springer still wears his bright red socks, and this St. Paul's jerseys are hunter green... so my sweetheart was definitely rockin' the Christmas colors!

Laura Susan

Moving

I have been procrastinating blogging about our latest news, but here it is...

We are moving!

God has provided in awesome, beautiful ways, and this week we are moving to Columbus, Georgia!

We had a great weekend, enjoying our time with our amazing small group! Friday we celebrated Emma's birthday, Saturday we were suprised by lunch with everybody, and then we went to Scott and Kelli's wedding with more Redeemer folks, Sunday Springer shared our story (really God's story!) at church, and in the afternoon, we threw a baby shower for Josh, Betsy, and Mini Desch! Whew! It was a really fun weekend, but we are pooped! (Especially since at every moment we weren't celebrating something, we were packing.)

And speaking of packing, where did all this stuff come from?!

Please pray for us this week, as we finish packing, wrap things up with work in Augusta, and say "See you later!" to our precious friends here. We will miss them terribly!

Laura Susan

The Fun Girls
The Crazy Boys

Near the Cross

I'm singing this song in my head right now... Beth Altman Young style...

Jesus, keep me near the cross,

There a precious fountain

Free to all, a healing stream

Flows from Calvary’s mountain.

In the cross, in the cross,

Be my glory ever;

Till my raptured soul shall find

Rest beyond the river.

Near the cross, a trembling soul,

Love and mercy found me;

There the bright and morning star

Sheds its beams around me.

Near the cross I’ll watch and wait

Hoping, trusting ever,

Till I reach the golden strand,

Just beyond the river.

Laura Susan

Masters

So I got lucky again this year and got a call on Tuesday with an offer for a free ticket to the practice round on Wednesday. I didn't even hesitate to say yes. Considering work is kind of slow this week I just decided to take the day off. I've only been to the Masters 4 times I think. Twice in college and also last year. So while living in Augusta I'm 2 for 2.

Unfortunately Laura Susan hasn't been able to come with me either year. I really want to go and experience it with her. I know that she would really enjoy it. It would be so much fun to be in such a beautiful place with my beautiful bride. I think next year we will sign up to try to get our own practice round tickets.

I'm not a really huge golf fan. I love to play, even though I'm not good. I just really love going to the Augusta National. Everything is so beautiful. I don't really care about seeing all the big players. I like watching everyone. Standing behind a teebox and watching them drive the ball is amazing. I can only dream about hitting it as far or straight as they do. We followed Luke Donald for a while at the Par 3 tournament. He just missed a hole in one on #5 I think. I also love their sandwiches. The egg salad is my favorite. I tried the pimento cheese and fried chicken this year but wasn't impressed. I wish they had chicken salad and I'm pretty surprised that they don't, that seems like a southern classic.

Right now I'm at work trying to keep up with the live scoring on the Master's website. Not too exciting, it only updates like every 10 min. We really need a tv here.

Springer

That Thing You Do

That Thing You Do is my all-time favorite movie. So what better way to celebrate my 25th Birthday than 60's style! (Well, mostly 60's, Charles and Rikki didn't have 60's clothes, so they dressed like the 80's.) Springer made his world-famous barbeque and ribs, and we had a blast! I just thought the blog world might enjoy some pics of the birthday extravaganza!

This is some serious meat.

We laughed about how Springer's hair looks very similar to my brother Will's right now.

Alison made a yummy birthday cake, and I blew out ALL the candles!

Check out the Mod Squad on the far right!

All the ladies... I loved having Amantha and Caroline come from out of town... a great surprise!

Springer minus the fro... it really did a number on his hair though.

This picture was taken the next day in Macon, hanging out with our family to celebrate.